Ministry vows to lower emissions leading to atmospheric pollution

China experienced an uptick in ozone pollution in the first five months of this year, and is likely to be hit by more in the coming three months due to unfavorable meteorological conditions, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

From January to May, the average concentration of ozone across the country stood at 140 micrograms per cubic meter, up by 0.7 percent from the same period last year, said Pei Xiaofei, a spokesman for the ministry, in a recent news conference.

In total, prefecture-level cities across the country reported 2,480 days with average ozone concentrations beyond the national standard of 140 micrograms per cubic meter, surpassing levels recorded during comparable historical periods, he said.